Introduction:

Our world is made up of connections. We are connected to the natural environment around us and affect that environment with our actions. We are linked to one another by biological and social connections such as family and work associations and by physical and situational conditions such as proximity, timing and movement. We are also connected to eachother by commonalities, shared experiences and similar points of view. In most interpersonal cases, facilitating and fostering connections with one another requires some type of communication. It is well established that human beings need friendships, what Aristotle called "Philia;" and that they are necessary.

Human attempts to connect to one another are intertwined with our progress and survival. Since our entire existence has been spent searching for innovative ways to convey our thoughts to one another, it can be argued that our own evolution is guided by the very tools that we use to communicate.

While the older, primary modes remain, computer technologies have revolutionized new methods of communication, that have in turn been adapted into use at an astronomical rate, and this revolution has affected our interactions socially, culturally and even biologically. It has also altered how we see others and how we present ourselves to them. In 2007, Walther underscored this notion, when he opened a recent study with the observation, "forming and managing impressions is a fundamental process and one that has been complicated by new communication technologies”. Technology has allowed for more choices, and individuals are choosing to communicate with using it in greater numbers. This drastic alteration of language by technology is a recent development in the context of the history of communication. This development is continually being studied, even as this process accelerates and changes. "We need to be particularly critical as we approach the tools we use to explore Internet culture, even the words we choose to employ.

The communication criteria has taken a new change .there is a change in pattern to communicate socially. Many of the youth are now indulged more in multi communication pattern offered by “facebook”(the largest used social network).This drastic alteration of language by technology is a recent development in the context of the history of communication. This development is continually being studied, even as this process accelerates and changes. "We need to be particularly critical as we approach the tools we use to explore Internet culture, even the words we choose to employ," wrote Shawn Wilbur in his article "An Archaeology of Cyberspaces." It comes as no surprise then that even the

terminology itself is evolving faster than scholars can pin it down and study it adequately.

Due to this "shifting terrain," the ways in which the Internet is affecting communication changes frequently, and the modes being used in this platform are undergoing current analysis.

We are just now beginning to see how web-based communities with larger user populations are faring online. With technology in this constant state of flux, the impact is harder to pinpoint, and the future harder to predict. Detailed specific investigations into the framework of individual sites can yield smaller pictures of the broader phenomenon, allowing researchers can gather inferences from those, but many questions remain. It is difficult to streamline the data due to the uniqueness of each site. 

Facebook is this today generation’s most used social network portal in world. People discuss there life, there events, festivals, make new friends, chat, video chat it is all at one go on “facebook.

This report is therefore based on influence that facebook has created on today’s youth. There thinking and communication pattern change. The report shows the fact of how facebook has become one of important medium and a part of student’s culture. Report is based on survey taken by 100 students between 17 to 25. The report and analysis is designed according to survey collected.

Formulation of research problem:

Facebook”s growth as an Internet social networking site has met criticism on a range of issues, including online privacy, child safety, and the inability to terminate accounts without first manually deleting the content. In 2008, many companies removed their advertising from the site because it was being displayed on the pages of controversial individuals and groups. The content of user pages, groups, and forums has been criticized for promoting controversial topics. There have been several issues with censorship, both on and off the site.

Facebook is this today generation’s most used social network portal in world. People discuss there life, there events, festivals, make new friends, chat, video chat it is all at one go on facebook. It may be possible that young people who have no experience of a world without online societies put less value on their real world identities says Dr Himanshu TyagiWest London Mental Health NHS Trust.

Due to the lot of criticism and various views by different personalities a survey to actually study how facebook influences youth and plays part in there life is taken down hereby.

This research is made to “study the growing influence of facebook on youth and to study the growth of facebook”.

Objective of the research:

The main objective of research is to study how the gaint social networking site facebook has taken over the youth’ mind. The changes brought by facebook in communication pattern of students.

The main aims and objectives of this research can be listed as:

To study the importance of facebook on students(youth) between 17 and 24. To know the average time spent by these youth on facebook everyday. To determine the activities for which students use facebook. To determine which is the most used social networking site amongst youth. To study whether advertisements seen on facebook influences their ideas about the

products. To determine what more features are required to be added in facebook. To know what can make these people away from facebook.

Facebook is one of the most used social networking site in this world.The main objective of the research is to know the reason for its growth and influence on youth.

Literature review:

Texts about social networks usually fall into one of several categories: Those who wrote about online interactions before broad public use of the internet usually focused on topics such as futurism, virtual reality, cyberspaces and machine intelligence, as well as general psychological and biological implications of emerging technology. The novels of Adolus Huxley and George Orwell certainly inspired writings about computer technology from a dystopian standpoint, while writers such as Buckminster Fuller influenced ideas of a technological utopia. In some ways their predictions have come true, while other ideas have yet to reach fruition, or will exist forever as fiction. The scholars who wrote in the 1990sduring the early periods of online communities focused on either the observational or ethnographic study of newsgroups or chat rooms. Current scholars have more data to construct their arguments, using statistical charts and graphs to reveal trends inside social networks.Important and gait facts About facebook till 2011.

More than 800 million active users.

More than 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day

Average user has 130 friends.

More than 900 million objects that people interact with (pages, groups, events and community pages).

Average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events.

On average, more than 250 million photos are uploaded per day.

More than 70 languages available on the site.

Approximately 80% of users are outside of the United States.

Over 300,000 users helped translate the site through the translations application.

On average, people on Facebook install apps more than 20 million times every day.

Every month, more than 500 million people use an app on Facebook or experience Facebook Platform on other websites.

More than 7 million apps and websites are integrated with Facebook.

More than 350 million active users currently access Facebook through their mobile devices.

More than 475 mobile operators globally work to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products

An article Walther co-authored in early 2008 titled "The Role of Friends' Appearance and Behaviour on Evaluations on Facebook: Are We Known by the Company We Keep?"Found, among other ideas, that the physical attractiveness of user's photos had some significant effect on the value of wall postings and online social standing of the intended person. "The degree to which impressions formulate or dissipate may depend on the perceived independence or collusion the material leading to them appears to have and whether it remains independent or consensual."

A 2007 study, co-authored by Ellison, examined the relationship between use of Facebook and the formation and maintenance of social capital. "We can definitely state that there is a positive relationship between certain kinds of Facebook use and the maintenance and creation of social capital. Although we cannot say which precedes the other, Facebook appears to play an important role in the process by which students form and maintain social capital".MIT's Judith Donath has also written extensively on social media online, specifically focusing on topics such as identity, trust and signaling. "In today's online, text-based worlds, facelessness is the norm and the extent to which participants are identified or left anonymous is a design feature of the various environments" (5) To consider how Donath's observations regarding how use of social networks effect the identity of the people that use them, an investigation into what exactly these networks are is necessary.

Over the past six months of 2010, about one-quarter of Facebook's total growth in regular users came from the U.S., but during December, just 5 percent of the social network's new users were in the U.S., according to Inside Facebook Gold, a data service by the research firm Inside Network. Facebook gained more users in India, Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia than in the United States during December.

Facebook's U.S. audience growth has decelerated for the past four months, raising questions among analysts about whether the Palo Alto, Calif., social network is approaching its saturation point here and highlighting Facebook's need to get people to spend more time on the social network in order to keep its revenue growing. A similar phenomenon is occurring in countries such as Iceland, Denmark and Sweden.

Facebook now has about 146 million regular users in the United States, according to both Inside Facebook Gold and the German-Czech analytics firm Socialbakers. Data from both show that Facebook's U.S. growth has slowed significantly in recent months and is on the verge of crossing the point where less than one-quarter of its users are in the United States. Facebook declined to comment on the numbers, which are roughly echoed by Internet tracking company ComScore.

"It's inevitable that in highly saturated countries growth has to decelerate," said Justin Smith, founder of Inside Facebook, who believes it's an "open question" whether Facebook is approaching its user limit in the U.S. "You can only get a certain percentage of the population to become active users, and as you get closer to that ceiling, you are going to slow down in terms of growth."

Facebook now reaches a striking 73 percent of U.S. Internet users, according to ComScore. Facebook user estimates from ComScore, Inside Facebook and Socialbakers all translate to more than 55 percent of the total U.S. population over the age of 12, the eligible age to join the social network.

RESEARCH DESIGN:

QUESTIONWISE ANALYSIS:

1. Are you aware of social networking?

aware

yes

As it can be seen from the research obtained 100% people are aware of socil network.

2. Do you use social networking site?

aware

yes

According to a research maximum students use facebook as a social network.

2. If yes, which social networking site you use the most?

WHICH U USE

FACEBOOKTWITTERGOOGLE+SKYPEOTHER

It is clear from the research that facebook is the most used social network from all the social networking sites.

3. Which social network has huge influence on communication?

INFLUENCE

FACEBOOKTWITTERORKUTOTHER

Again a research shows a baised design of facebook having a total influence over online communication.

4. How many times you visit facebook in a day?

HOW MANY

ONCE3 TIMES5 TIMESMORE

As seen stdents visit facebook atleast once in a day. A large proportion of students use it 3 times a day as well.

6. What are main reasons you visit facebook everyday?

reasons

COMMUNICATIONFRIEND'S UPDATEOTHER

As facebook defines itself to be a hang out site for friends maxmum students in the sample of 100 visits facebook for friend’s update followed by communication and other activities.

7. Which search engine will you choose if facebook launches its own search engine?

search engine

FACEBOOKGOOGLEOTHER

A question to see whether if students will change there search engine from google to facebook if facebook launches one was conducted.

A maximum proportion of students will not at all leave goggle(search engine) even if facebook launches one.

8. What difference has facebook made in last decade and will make in coming years?

difference

A REVOLUTIONCOMMUNICATION CRITERIANO DIFFERENCE

According to this report , maximum people said that it will make difference in communication pattern. Followed by a revolution.

9. According to you which is the biggest online advertising hub?

ONLINE ADVERTISING

FACEBOOKGOOGLEOTHER SOURCE

It is as clear from research that maximum people find that facebook is the biggest medium of online advertising.

10. How much time you spend on facebook in a day on average?

TIME SPEND

LESS THAN 1 HOURTWO HOURS OR MORE4 HOURSMORE

A good analysis of maximum croud going for two hours or more on facebook is a result.

It also states that atleast one hour is spent on facebook everyday.

11. Is facebook used in conjunction with other social networking sites (SNS) like friendster, myspace, skype or is it students singular primary social networking site?

usage type

IT'S IN CONJUNCTIONPRIMARARILY FOR STUDENTS

According to this report a maximum proportion of crowd says that its a primary social network device for students.

12. What can take you away from facebook?

AWAY

FAKE PROFILESUNSOLICATED MESSAGESSPAMS/VIRUSESPRIVACY/SECURITY

A question to identify the changes that facebook should make to stay in heart of students was asked.According to it maximum students has privacy problems and are irritated with spams and this can take them away from facebook.

13. Your peer’s brand preference on facebook influences your ideas towards that brand?

PEERS

AGREEDIS-AGREETO AN EXTENT

According to this research conducted maximum people feel that there peer’s brand or page liking on facebook does not influence them.

14. Are you addicted to facebook in last 5 years?

ADDICTED

YESNO

The research shows that maximum students are not addicted to facebook.

Conclusion:

The questions we hoped to find an answer to throughthe survey included the following:

 • 

How often are people logging in to Facebook to check their page and status update?• 

How often are students logging in to check their Facebook account per week and howmany hours per week are they spending on the site?

• 

Is Facebook being used in conjunction with other SNS such as Friendster and Myspaceor is it the student's singular primary SNS?

In asking these questions, this study hypothesizes that Facebook users are not only using it to communicate, but that they are using it as often as they use other technological devices such as IM, e-mail and cellular phones. Communication on the site can involve any number of multiple ways previously listed. The five survey questions and two control questions were multiple-choice and respondents were given no time-limit to answer them. They were also administered anonymously; the respondents had not option or field in which to submit their name. They were given instructions beforehand as to the number of questions and that there would be two optional questions at the end.

The conclusion is that facebook is maximum used social network among students.